Though our Islands have become quite populated over the years,
the majority of Kamaaina (or locals) live and work in Honolulu.
There are always places to get away and enjoy Mark Twain's Hawaii;
locals know it, and if persistent you too can enjoy Hawaii's solitude.

Try one of our innumerable parks, they line the ocean highways,
as well as dot our cities. Visit the Honolulu Zoo, bring a lunch
and spend the day enjoying the 40+ acre facility, featuring some
of the most endangered spices of the Pacific Rim. Take a short walk
to the Waikiki Aquarium, roughly five blocks Diamond Head side of
the zoo on the ocean. Feel good with the knowledge that the lion-head's
share of your small entrance fee goes to many of the programs to
enhance the animals' facilities. Take a nature walk on one or more
of the many miles of trails that wind the Koolau or Waianae mountains.
Or just "hang loose" and enjoy your favorite beverage,
while watching the sunset from one of the many western advantage
points along the ocean.

The sites to visit below are not affiliated with the Tropical Chef
Hawaii, they are just great places to visit, but we enjoy them and
highly recommend them to all.

Waimea
Valley and Adventure ParkHours: daily 10:00 am-5:30
pmAdmission: General: Adult $24,
Child 4-12 years $12, 3 years and under free; Hawai'i
resident: Adult $12, Child 4-12 years $6, 3 years and under
free; discounts available for school groups; reservations required
for education programs, special functions and large groups.

In Brief
Oil droplets bubble to the surface of Pearl Harbor above the USS
Arizona, creating a vivid link to the past. On a quiet Sunday morning
December 7, 1941 a Japanese surprise air attack left the Pacific
Fleet in smoldering heaps of broken, twisted steel. Here, peace
was interrupted and paradise lost. In hours, 2,390 futures were
stolen, half of these casualties from the battleship Arizona.

Behind the shadows of destroyed airfields, aircraft, and ships,
America fought fear, and a determined enemy responding with an unrivaled
war effort. An epic battle for democratic ideals and world freedom
would bloody the fields of Europe and the islands of the Pacific
over the next four years.

The USS Arizona Memorial as a national shrine symbolizes American
sacrifice and resolve. Through national tragedy, a "sleeping
giant awoke" and the United States moved towards its destiny
as a global power

May We Recommend
The interpretive program, for which visitors are given free tickets
at the visitor center, consists of a brief talk by a National Park
Service ranger or a Pearl Harbor Survivor, followed by a 23-minute
documentary film on the Pearl Harbor attack. Immediately after the
film, visitors depart the theater for the boat landing, where they
will board a Navy shuttle boat and begin their trip to the USS Arizona
Memorial. All visitors disembark on the Memorial and will return
to the visitor center a short time later on another shuttle boat.